A Smile from Natsume
by The Adventurous Cellist
Summary: Mikan, who had certain dislike towards Natsume Hyuuga, got stuck in a detention with him. To her, that was definitely a definition of hell. However, everything started to progress and thus begins their journey.
1. Chapter 1

This was going so out of plan. I'm not going to turn back and apologize to HER. Oh! Come on, this was what I planned for so long so don't turn around to look. Just walk away! Act like nothing happen. I told myself several times to go, but I still couldn't move my feet, I stood rooted there, cursing.

Finally, I made my decision. I am so going to regret. I turned around and walk to that damn stupid Luna's side. I tried to help her by taking her hands and help her walk smoothly. And did you know what she does to me, the Good Samaritan? She slapped my hands away and said, "Hey! Take your hands off me, you filthy b****." If we weren't standing in front of the crowd, I would have punched her right on her _beautiful_, _pure_ nose. It's not as if she is very pretty, she wasn't even close to pretty, let alone beautiful.

She had done thousands of plastic surgery before. Making her nose look a little more pointed, augmenting her breasts, making her face prettier. Yuck! Just thinking of all the things she went through just to get the attention of Natsume Hyuuga, that's not worthy at all. She didn't even get prettier at all. It's just that the sight of her breasts looks more appealing to boys.

Though, Natsume never spare a sight for her. Every path Natsume went through, the girls would just crouch and sniff his smell. I swear I'm not exaggerating. The first time I stepped in here, I saw Natsume in person. I mean "Oh my god!" He was too gorgeous for his own good. It's just right that he's every girls' heartthrob, every boys' dream. He has that messy, short, shining black hair that look so good on his handsome face. His crimson eyes that look so piercing yet retain that coldness. A perfect pointed nose above his pink lips.

And you never saw that body of his. Look at his forearm, so muscular! Six packs on his abdomen! Where could you find anyone as perfect as him? I never said I finished talking about him. He is the heir to the Hyuuga Company, the 15th richest cooperation in the world or you could say the richest and most successful cooperation in Japan. Why is he the heir even though he has so many elder siblings and so many cousins? Easy, because he is a genius.

I admired him the first time I saw him, but it never last long. The last semester, I accidentally dripped a DROP of my soda on his hair. I wasn't entirely that eager to drop it on his hair, who would, anyway. It was just an accident. ACCIDENT. And you know what he did to me? He humiliated me; he even told his fans to beat me. I didn't really know what happened, but I saw him looking meaningfully at his fan girls. He sure was trying to tell his fan girls to do so. His fan girls soak me with the sodas and pour some pasta on my clothes. Oh well! I was then scolded by Mr. Jinno in the Maths class for coming to his class in this state.

From that day on, I truly hated that stupid, arrogant jerk. I never wanted anything to do with him. Last month, Luna made fun of me .She accused me for trying to be prettier than her, trying to get near Natsume. I never really thought of doing all the stupid things like that. Not that I was praising myself, but everyone knows that I was more beautiful than her. I was considered pretty, although I was not the one to make up and dress up beautifully like a doll. I admit that I was not as beautiful as others, I knew that but I certainly was prettier than that stupid Luna and that no-brain Sumire.

Well, it was not interesting news that Luna was making fun of me. She made fun of everyone that was more beautiful than she is. After all, she was jealous. Jealous girls are what I call scarier than anything else in this world. But, I was not the one to let everything pass like it never happen. I thought of a plan to have my revenge. Of course, I was helped by my best friends, Hotaru, Nonoko and Anna. We thought of a plan, which will let her embarrass herself in front of others.

This plan we thought of was having her walk to me when I was having my recess. Hotaru put her newly invented machine, specially to hook her when she walks here. Then, put a pail of paint where she fell. This plan was a total success. She had her ankle sprained and body covered in paint. Hotaru told me to turn around and go after that. But I sympathize her that I turned around to help her. And now look what I got myself, she slapped my hand. Never mind, I'll just go nevertheless.

I was never that lucky. When I turn around, I saw Mr. Jinno walking this way. Oh my god! I had no choice but to run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, I am ILikeAmethystEyes. (I forgot my manners last )**

**This is my first fan fiction, A Smile from Natsume.**

**I didn't change anything, just their age, a little of their characteristics and the story plot.**

**They still had their alices, but the Alice Academy is no longer the crazy academy that jails the student.**

**They live in dorms, but they could leave whenever they can. **

**That's all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.**

**CHAPTER 2**

Here I am, sitting in the office of Mr. Jinno, the discipline teacher. Detention was what I got from him. You could never get away from Mr. Jinno's eyes. I'm not sure what you call those eyes, maybe eagle eyes, but I truly hated these eyes. I had to write a thousand times of "I would never bully people again", with Mr. Jinno sitting in front of me.

It wasn't me who was bullying people. I was just revenging. Okay, maybe that was worse than bullying, but it sure was not bullying. I regretted my doing, I truly regretted. I regretted for not just run away when Luna fell. I should have listened to what Hotaru said. Sympathy was just something that betrays you, I would never sympathies people ever again. Now that I remember, there weren't anyone trying to help Luna, or me. But I'm sure they told Mr. Jinno who made Luna fell. Oh well, I admit I am stupid now.

When Mr. Jinno arrived, I scurried up the stairs, hoping that Mr. Jinno wouldn't see me. Deep in my mind, I knew I wasn't going to get away. I heard the crowd's whispering, and then Mr. Jinno's loud voice asking who did this mess. After that…..

"Miss Sakura! Get here this instant!"His voice on ground floor was heard even on the first floor. And I knew this game was going to end, too quickly. I saw Luna's smug smile when I got there.

"Detention on Tuesday and Friday, and I mean every Tuesday and Friday, until I say stop. Do I get myself clear?" I sighed and nodded, a sign of defeat. I did get a warning from Mr. Jinno last time. That was when I ran down the hallway and carelessly knocked a pot of flower from the first floor. The pot of flower nearly pounded on a guy's head. Mr. Jinno thought I was doing it on purpose, though he let me off that time.

This was my first detention. I had to write a thousand times of 'I would never bully people again'. Next time, according to him, I had to clean the trophies. I couldn't help gulping when I saw the number of trophies displayed there.

I was starting to feel the ache on my hand now, though I had only written a hundred of them. Suddenly, the door was knocked twice before Mr. Jinno told whoever it was to come in. I almost fainted when I saw who it was standing on the doorway.

Leaning against the door frame, tall and muscular, was a guy with the name of **NATSUME** **HYUUGA**!

Never mind, I told myself. It's no big deal, he's not going to recognize me (that time when she dropped soda on him) and eat me. It's just a tiny chance that he'll know me, you know, with so many girls hovering around him every single day. I took a deep breath and continued my work.

I just could not get rid of this feeling of fear, considering the last time I saw him. Whoa! A really big disaster. I didn't really know what happened. I just remembered him burning a boy's hand with his alice of fire. People said that the boy is a kidnapper who nearly succeeded in abducting his little small brother. I couldn't help shuddering at that thought.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hyuuga." I heard Mr. Jinno said. I was trying hard to concentrate on my work, lowering my head in the process.

"Hmm…" His deep, manly voice answered Mr. Jinno's greeting. Then, the chair beside me was moved and he settled on that chair. There was a kind of nice smell drifting towards me. It's not entirely perfume, perfume wouldn't smell this pleasant. Nah, I wouldn't be bothered about it.

"Have you forgotten your manners? Or would you like to have another round of lecture?" Mr. Jinno's quiet voice sounded again. Scary, because I detected a warning in it. Natsume didn't answer.

Then, silence engulfed us. I kept quiet and continued my writing. The only sound there was just the sound of my pencil scribbling on the paper and my breathing. It was very frightening to be in there. I could almost feel the malicious aura emitted from them.

"Right, your schedule today is to mop the floor and arrange these papers according to the title." Surrendering at last, Mr. Jinno said again. I peeked slightly to my left, where the pile of papers sat. Wow! You could never finish it in just one day. Nevertheless, Natsume's expression remained nonchalance. "This is Miss Mikan Sakura, anyway," Mr. Jinno gestured towards me, "and I am leaving right now. So, before I come back, I want your work done and Miss Sakura, place your paper on my table if you have finished it."

Mr. Jinno hurried out of his office and closed the door. I knew we were going to be alone that time, until he clapped his hands twice. Three men, about twenty something, crawled out from under Mr. Jinno's table. I stared with horror at the men. They were quite fit, but how could they find a way to squeeze under the small table. Mr. Jinno should have known, right?

"You heard what that old man said, right?" Natsume asked, and then commanded them to work. He turned towards me and smirked. I gulped unconsciously. "If you dare to say a word…" A fire lit up his hand. "You wouldn't want to be a roasted pig, right?" I guess my face turned white at that statement.

He stood up and turned towards the window. He readied himself to jump out of it. When I blinked, he was already gone. I thought that he is an idiot. He could just open the door and walk out. After I finished my writing, I placed the paper on Mr. Jinno's table. I walked towards the door and twisted the knob.

Great! The door was locked.

**Please review! **

**I know I don't write well, so critics are allowed. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Why didn't I think of bringing my bag here? I had loads of assignment to do for History and psychology. I sighed and fiddled with anything I got there. The sound of paper ruffling and footsteps made by the three pitiful men were there. I heaved a sigh of boredom again and stood up.

I decided to help the three men there. They looked like they were forced into doing this. Natsume must have held a dagger in front of them to make them look so scared. Thinking of this made me smile. But Natsume is a millionaire; he didn't have to force them. Everyone would willingly help him seeing his money and his looks.

Being a rich man is just so good. Unlike me, I have to work at night after school since I didn't have enough money to spend. My parents died young, or so my grandpa said, leaving me to live with my grandpa. I never got the chance to see my parents, not even a photo was available. When I ask about my parents, grandpa just got that weird look on his face and often avoided my questions. I thought he was sad so I just didn't want to get much into it. My grandpa is old and works as a farmer. He didn't get much income so we have to eat and spend what we have.

I realized that when I was in the village where I lived, being poor was easy. When we were starved and had no money to spend in buying food, we could just climb a tree and pluck some fruits. Tell a neighbor that you're hungry, he'll have something for you to eat. But after I moved here alone, I grasped what the villagers said about the people here. As you see, people just neither care nor even look at you when you wanted help. They looked at you with such discrimination that made you feel like you're a beggar.

And look at the amount of money I have to spend here, everything was much more expensive than in village. I have to pay for my school fees, electric bills, water bills, apartment renting, telephone bills and every bill I got here. Besides, I am a human, so I have to spend money in eating. Life here was hectic; I have to remind myself repeatedly why I even consider schooling here.

I knew that village schooling won't have any future, so I told my grandpa that I wanted to come here to study. He objected at first. After I made him understand the benefit I could get here, he let me go. I never knew that life here was so terrible, but I got used to it soon enough.

I turned towards those three men who were still working on the pile of papers. One of them lifted his head and smiled at me. Well, maybe they were just like me, working to get more money. I walked towards them and crouched.

"Do you need any help?" They nodded in unison with so much energy. I smiled at them. "So, how can I help you?"

"But, master said that we should finish it by ourselves, isn't it?" One of them said and turned towards another one.

"I think he said it, but who cares? It's not like he'll know."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" I cut in curiously. "Who is your master you're talking about?"

The pale blonde one frowned. "Isn't it obvious that our master is the mighty Natsume Hyuuga?"

I think I gaped at them, because they all laughed. "You mean you all are like personal slaves….I mean like maids?"

"Sort of." The pale blonde one said, a glint of sadness appeared in his eyes. "But we're the luckiest ones, you know, being Natsume's slave."

"Yep." Another one said. "We're bad luck that we become slaves. But being Natsume's slave was another kind of luck, good luck. We do easy works like these, we got rest time and off day, we were treated like human."

"Every Hyuuga has their slaves. Even Youchi has." Then, they all laughed together. "The slaves, considered nannies, of Youchi are the busiest among all. He bites, summon spirits, and things he could do so that he could be with his brother, Natsume, or his sister, Aoi, instead of being alone. And he changes nannies like he changes clothes."

"Could you help us to mop the floor while we talk?" The brown hair one asked politely, pointing his finger towards the pail and the mop.

"Sure." I answered simply and took the mop and pail filled with water.

"Being Aoi's slave is not so bad either. She's so cute. But we never get chance to see her much. Master Natsume and Tsubasa will never let any other boy approach her. Master Natsume and Tsubasa loved their younger siblings."

"Tsubasa? Who is he?" I asked, raking my mind for anyone with the name of Tsubasa.

"Natsume's elder brother. He's not that famous, it's Natsume that gets all the fame." The honey gold hair one replied.

"He is not angry with Natsume? Like fighting for inheritance of property?" I asked, moping harder to remove stains on the floor.

"Nah, he's that happy-go-lucky person." The honey gold hair one waved an offhanded hand. "Besides, he claimed that he doesn't want to have their grandfather's property. It's too much pressure. I sometimes pity Master Natsume that he'll have to inherit them someday."

We continued to chat. I had finished my moping very soon after I started. Well, I could say doing house chores had become one of my expertises. I do it since I was very small, I couldn't even remember when it was.

The three guys had talked about Hyuuga family members very much. Things like, _Tsubasa Hyuuga is going to marry soon; Youichi is going to celebrate his seventh birthday on….god-knows-when._ Those were the things they said, like hell I would care for the Hyuugas. I just smiled and answered them out of politeness and not wanting to bore myself to death.

"Hey, we have to go now. Master Natsume told us to go as soon as we finished our work." The pale blonde one said to me after they finished sorting out the pile. "By the way, thanks for helping us. And it's nice to meet you."

"Um… the door is locked." I reminded them with my fingers pointed to the door. Surprisingly, all of them chuckled.

"We don't use the door." Before I could react to what they said, they jumped out of the window. I rushed to the window but not one of them was in sight. Despite that, I still heard their shouts, "We learned this (jumping out from window) from master!" What? Wait, I'd forgotten to ask their names.

I sighed. Putting one of my legs over the window frame, I tried to learn their styles of jumping. I don't want to stay here until that strict Mr. Jinno comes back. Though, looking at the height from the floor made me gulp. This was the 3rd floor, after all. I decided that if I wanted to live longer, I might as well take my leg back and wait until Mr. Jinno's back.

The next hour I fiddled, strolled, read the files in Mr. Jinno's office, mopped the floor again and checked whether the piles of paper were sorted correctly. I did everything that I can do there. I slumped on the chair and stretched, then I saw a very thick file in the drawer. My eyes twinkled and I went over to the other side of the desk. The file was indeed very thick. It's Natsume Hyuuga's personal file with his photo pasted on the front page. Cautiously and quietly, I took out the file and opened it.

The first page was Natsume's biodata, which continued to the third page. I continued to flip the page until I saw a photo. Natsume is an alice, the alice of fire. He was using his alice in this photo and another person in it was holding a gun trying to kill him. Natsume had bruises and wounds that were bleeding profusely. Natsume was fighting the guy with his physical strength and also his alice.

Under the photo was a sentence, writing, **The Eighth Time Being Kidnapped.** The others were the details writing who the abductor was and etc. The purpose of kidnapping was just wanting money from his rich family. The eighth time? Wow! That was a lot.

I flipped again to another page. This page was also the snapshot of him being kidnapped, but the kidnappers were being beaten by Natsume. Natsume was there rubbing the blood at the corner of his mouth, another hand clutching his stomach. The blood from his stomach had stained his shirt almost completely. I continued to turn the pages. The photos filled every page, and then the contents changed to his detention duties. He had detention for the last 4 years. There is no doubt that he must be very disagreeable for his whole life.

I buried myself in reading the file, totally unaware of the low, silent thud near the window.

**If you ask who the three guys were, they had nothing to do with the story plot. **

**They are just to make the story more interesting and let Mikan know what's happening.**

**Well, they did learn that jumping-out-of-window from Natsume so that**

**Mr. Jinno wouldn't notice anything.**

**Is the story interesting? **

**Just let me know (review) so that I could correct my mistakes and make the story better.**

**Thank You!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It felt hot around my hands suddenly, but I couldn't find anything wrong. I ignored it until it was unbearable that I shouted. It was then that I realized that the file was burning. I yelped, throwing the file aside in order to avoid hurting myself.

Damn! I've forgotten that the file was…was Mr. Jinno's file!!!!! I couldn't and wouldn't imagine how he would react when he found out about this. I stared at the file in horror; I knew I must do something to prevent it from turning to ashes. I poured the pail of water which I used to mop on the file. Nevermine about that floor that I just cleaned, it's in Natsume's duty list.

"Enjoying yourself?" A voice split the air, causing me to turn around. A figure came into my view. Natsume was leaning against the window frame with his eyes closed. He had a pen slid in his breast pocket. "I guess poking your nose into others' business is fun for you."

Realization began to dawn on me. He was the one, the one who burned the file. Definitely. How could something burn without any source of heat? I don't produce fire; **he** was the one who had an alice of fire. Why didn't I think of it earlier? If Mr. Jinno asks about this, I'll just blame everything on him since he had that alice.

"What did you just DO?!!!! You burned the file." I nearly shouted, too furious to be polite.

"I'd wanted to burn it for a long time." He opened his eyes slowly, revealing his piercing crimson eyes. He looked straight into my eyes, causing me to shudder at his glare. "And how can I not burn it? You were interfering with my business. No, it's my privacy."

"Your privacy? Don't make me laugh. Just a few cases of kidnapping and detention lists are your privacy?" I chuckled. I heard a sound of shuffle beside me and then I was grabbed in the collar by Natsume. I gasped, holding my breath at his deathly glare.

"What did you read?" He asked through his gritted teeth. His face was just inches from mine, and the scent he had when he was talking was just……manly. However, I had no time to ogle over him; I only had time to be frightened. And that was exactly what I felt that moment—pure fear.

"I-I-I r-read…" Realizing that I stuttered, I gained my composure and said again. "Why should I tell you?" Although it seemed that I was very brave, I was truly scared inside.

"Then what should I tell Mr. Jinno? How about you messed up his office?" He turned towards the file lying on the floor and the dirty water that "decorated" and wet his books. The file was surprisingly normal, not any bit of evidence that it had been burned before. What? Oh my god! What will Mr. Jinno say? I couldn't blame everything on Natsume now.

"Fine!" I finally surrendered. He still looked at me with that cold, I-don't-give-a-damn face. "I read that you've been kidnapped eight times, had detention for the last four years and your biodata."

"And?"

I sighed. "Is there anything else? If there is, give me a hint so I can answer you." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't kid me." A fire lit up his hand and I gulped.

"I really, truly, actually don't know." Is there anymore adverb for me to use?

"About the murderer?"

"What are you talking about? I thought it's just abducting cases?"

He pursed his lips and released me. "Nothing." He walked away with his hands in his pockets and sat at the chair.

I heaved a sigh in relief. It's now time to think about the mess that I have to clean up. I scowled at Natsume who was sitting with his back facing me and stomped towards where the mop was. Before I started to mop **again**, I picked up the file. The file was lighter and thinner than before. Weird.

Thinking of a quick way to clean the mess, an idea popped out of my mind. I smiled as sweetly as I could at Natsume, who turned a disgusted look at me, and said, "How about a deal?"

He glanced at me before rolling his eyes. "No."

"Aww……Come on. It's a good deal. It's definitely mutualism, you benefit, I benefit." Seeing that he didn't react or showed any sign of listening to me, I decided to change my strategy. I'm attacking his ego. "Or maybe…you're scared that you might lose to a girl like me?"

"I'm from a business family. You think I would fall for that?" He answered simply. Crap! He knew I was tricking him.

"Come on. I'll consider helping you the next detention since we're together again this Friday…" I trailed off on the last word and observe his reaction. He merely twitched his eyebrow and did nothing. I made sure he listened properly to me before I continued, "While……you keep your mouth shut about this and…help me to clean the water with your fire alice."

"Seems like you're the only one who benefits." He stated in a monotonous voice. He's a businessman, what can you expect? He had to show that he doesn't show any interest in the deal so that you can make the conditions better.

"No, I'll help you so that you won't have to use the three…slaves and…" I stopped in midsentence, trying to come up with an excuse.

"And?"

"And Mr. Jinno won't find out about it."

"He won't find out if no one breaks the pot."

"I doubted it."

"How do you think I got through all 4 years of detention?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he'll find out accidentally, who knows? It's future."

"So what if he finds out? It's not like I care."

Right, he doesn't care. He had 4 years of continuous detention and that means he doesn't give a damn on how much detention he will get next. He'll have to graduate eventually. I was at a loss of word when he quirked an eyebrow at me. Then, he smirked and said,

"How about a better deal?" I was very suspicious on his soft tone marred with a hint of amusement and victory.

"And what would that be?"

"You show me the normal life you lead."

…

…

…

"Huh?" I was…dumbstruck. I was thinking that he might want me to become his slaves or something similar to that.

"You heard me."

"Normal life? You don't live a normal life?"

He kept quiet and looked at me in the eyes, cool and steady.

"You spend your time in the dungeon and torture people?" I blurted out the first thing which was not at all normal that escaped my mind. Spending life in dungeon and torturing people was not a normal life to me, not at all.

He eyed me with a disgusting expression. He pursed his lips and said nothing in reply. Seeing that he did not want to answer at all, I decided to ask him just one single word, "Why?"

"None of your concern."

"You're making a deal with me. It is my concern. I had to know."

"You have to know? Well, the deal is off then."

"Wait! Okay, right. I am going to let you see how I spend my day in a normal way." I don't see how my life is normal, and was normal before. "But just for one day. I mean it, **one** day." I emphasized just in case he didn't hear me.

"One week." He tried to bargain with me.

"One day."

"6 days."

"No. One day."

"5 days."

"One day."

"4 days."

"One day."

"3 days."

"No. One day."

"How about none at all?" He suggested at last, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Really?" My heart was jumping with joy. He'll help me with no condition? The happiness sank to the bottom when I saw his smirk. He was just trying to take the deal off. There was no way that he'll be that kind in helping me without condition.

"Okay. Okay. 3 days." I immediately regretted after I said this.

"Deal. 3 days." He said casually. What had I gotten myself into? "When would you like to start showing me your lifestyle?"

"How about after you're dead?" I muttered in a very low and depressed voice, hoping that he would not hear it. But then again, nothing was ever lucky for me.

"In that case, I'm wishing you happy detention for the rest of your high school life." His merry tone made me shuddered. I had never wanted anything to do with Mr. Jinno. Detention with him was not that good, and I don't think it'll ever be good.

I sighed. "Care if I arrange it after this autumn?" I don't want him to see me working after school and living by myself. If it's winter, I could say I'm working in winter break to get myself more money and that my parents are having honeymoon so they leave me at home. No one would be suspicious.

"What if I said I care?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. He was such a jerk! I inhaled several times in order to calm myself down.

"Just answer my question." I grumbled through my gritted teeth.

"Then, it's settled." He smirked, in an annoying way. I had to admit it's **kind of** handsome, just kind of. "Inform me on the date. I will not forget about this bargain."

I wondered why he was so interested in my lifestyle. Isn't it same with his? Not that same, though. His lifestyle was of a rich one, while mine was of a poor one. He had maids and… slaves to do all his work, while I had to finish it all by myself. Anyway, about his sudden interest in normal lifestyle, was it just pure interest? Or was it because he wanted to earn more money by creating more products to ease our life after observing my lifestyle? Either one, it's just troublesome for me.

After that, he wordlessly evaporated the water that had wet the books using his alice. I muttered a "thanks" which he ignored. And when Mr. Jinno came back after 45 minutes, he kept his mouth shut when Mr. Jinno asked about why were the books and files bending in a weird shape. He had kept to his side of deal, which made me quite surprised.

Mr. Jinno was satisfied with our work and let us go. I went back straight to my apartment.

I climbed the stairs that led to my apartment since the lift was long broken even before I moved in. My apartment was in the sixth floor. Hence, that means I have to run up and down the stairs at least four times a day. Well, that made me healthy, but it was very exhausting at first. I had no choice; this is the only apartment that the renting fee is in my budget.

An old woman with grayish hair greeted me. She was the owner of the apartment which I was staying in. She was very kind, the friendly smile and wrinkles when she smiles made it clear. She had offered me this apartment at a very low price to rent. Though, the first time we met was awkward and funny.

***

"_Hi. I'm Mikan Sakura." I greeted her with a smile when I entered her house for the interview._ (I don't really know what it's called in renting)_ The house she entered was quite small but still cozy. The wall was painted baby blue with matching-colored furniture placed in the house. The old woman stood at the doorstep welcoming me._

"_Hi. I bet you're the lovely lady wanting to rent my apartment." She said with a smile, her arms opened to hug me. I complied by walking into her arms and hugged her back, giving a small peck on her cheek. "Welcome, Ms. Sakura. It's very nice to meet you. Come on in, don't stand there. "_

_I took off my shoes and walked in. Sitting down on the sofa, I started, "As you know, I came here to see if the apartment was still letting out. I…" Before I could finish, she cut me off. _

"_Don't worry, Miss Sakura. It's still empty."_

"_You know, you can just call me Mikan."_

"_Mikan. What a lovely name, suited for a lovely owner." I could do nothing but just smiled back at her. This woman was kind of creepy in my first impression. Seeing my uneasiness, she told me, "Make yourself comfortable."_

"_This is an interview after all."_

_She frowned in a funny way. "Don't say it like that. I don't like people talking to me formally."_

"_Right." Again, there was nothing I could say. Being polite just seems to be the best thing of all. Perhaps I could easily get to rent the apartment if I gave her a good impression by being polite._

"_How old are you? You look quite young." _

"_I'm 16 next month." _

"_You're very young. Where are your parents? Why are you renting this apartment alone?" She asked, curiosity evident with a slight hint of surprised. When I was about to answer, she covered her mouth in a shocked way suddenly. I threw a questioning look at her. "Oh no, don't tell me you're a pregnant teen."_

_What?!!! A pregnant teen? Hell, no way!!!!!_

_She examined me from head to toes. AND…coincidentally, I was wearing a very large T-shirt that I bought at night market as it was very cheap. That made it even more suspicious. I opened my mouth, trying to come up with some words to explain when she hugged me._

"_Oh, poor girl. Tell me who's the guy? I'll kick him in the ass." _

"_No, n…" She stopped me again with a finger on my lips. _

"_I understand. I absolutely understand. It's hard to explain, isn't it?" She sighed at me pitifully. "The first time is very pleasurable, I know."_

_HUH? What the hell was she talking about? Don't tell me…_

"_No, no, no." She started to cut in when I interrupted quickly. "No, no. YOU just listen to me." With that, she closed her mouth and kept quiet._

_There began my explanation of everything. It took me half an hour to finally made things clear. She apologized to me many times and I didn't really care about it, so I decided to let it go. _

_And the good news was, she offered that apartment with the renting fee lower than the usual price. That means, I could eat more and buy more things._

_***_

After I took a bath, I plopped on the sofa, reaching for the remote control and opened the television. There was nothing interesting to watch so I decided to close the television and proceeded to take my nap for the evening. It was 4.30p.m. So maybe I could rest for an hour or so before going to work. The homework was not heavy. I could do it after my nap.

My cell phone rang before I could close my eyes. It was the cheapest, fifth handed phone that I bought in the market. I guess it's also the most outdated phone. I answered the phone without even looking at the caller.

"Hello." I greeted politely. The other end was silent. I had an ominous premonition as to who it was. "Can I know who it is?"

"Stupid." My heart leaped in reply to this voice. "It's me, Hotaru."

Uh-oh…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hey, Hotaru." I said in false gladness, knowing that my voice had already betrayed my pretense. "It's rare of you to call me."

"Quit that, you idiot." She warned in a fierce voice. "What did I told you to do after that act?"

I gulped. I wanted so much to close the phone now, but I can't. She is my best friend and she only called me whenever she is worried about me. Not that she will ever admit that, but I still knew.

As a matter of fact, she is actually one hell of a good friend. She seemed scary to those who don't know her, but inside she is a caring girl. She usually wears an emotionless face around and she never, no, rarely smiles. She only smiles when she is with me, Anna or Nonoko. I had known her for almost 6 years. She lived in village with me 6 years ago, until she moved away on her twelfth birthday, which was 4 years ago. She often visited me even though the distance from my village to Tokyo is far.

When I moved here about 8 months ago, I found out that she was quite lonely here. I tried very hard to make her happier and made more friends. That's how we met the super friendly Anna and Nonoko. We became best friends and Hotaru was happier after that.

"Umm……Run away?" I answered in an uncertain voice, though I knew that was the right answer.

"AND WHAT DID YOU DO?" She practically used a loud speaker on the phone instead of wasting her energy shouting at me. My ear hurt from that. She is very clever, no one would ever think of using a loud speaker at the phone.

"It's not that bad, you know. Just a few detentions from Mr. Jinno are…" Before I could finish my sentence, she cut in rudely.

"Meet me in usual place. NOW." She hung up the phone right away without even waiting for my answer. She knew I have work on 7.00 p.m. However, rejecting her was far worse than getting scolded by my boss for being late. I had no choice but to get up and head to take my jacket.

I walked towards the park full of people exercising there, straining my head for any sign of a black haired girl. It's easy to find her. Guess why? Because she had claimed a large space on a shady spot to be hers, and who dares to come near her will receive their punishment.

I just asked a passerby whether she saw a girl with black hair and amethyst eyes sitting around. He immediately nodded and pointed towards where she was. If you want to find her more quickly, you could just shout out her name loudly. But, I never dared to do that. I knew I would come out barely alive if I ever think of doing it.

Running towards where Hotaru was, I saw her polishing her baka gun. I shuddered just before a ball hit me straight on my head. Everything seemed to blur and I collapsed. People around me shrieked and asked me if I was alright. I waved them away and nodded my head as a sign that I'm okay.

I tried to stand up just to be hit by another ball coming from the baka gun. It continued until Hotaru was satisfied with it. By that time, my head was already full of bumps and hills. That's why I hated to hang around with Hotaru when something serious happens. The baka gun always makes my day worse when it's already bad to start with.

Walking nearer towards her, I couldn't help but beam at her despite what she did. She still wore the disgusted expression on her face but I knew deep inside, she wasn't thinking that way. I sat down beside her on the bench.

"Hey, Hotaru." I greeted her. She didn't seem to be in the mood to reply, making me kind of like talking to myself. "Umm……long time no see?"

"We just met this morning?" This morning? Oh yeah. It was this morning that everything happened, and it was a long day for me.

I smiled sheepishly. "This morning." I nodded my head in agreement. "This morning I was having fun." I didn't continue, knowing that Hotaru caught the unsaid statement. _This morning I was having fun watching Luna fall._

"Having fun getting detention with Hyuuga?" Hotaru asked sarcastically. My heart made a 360° turn at what she said.

"H-How do you know?" I stuttered, surprised.

"What do you think escapes your friend?" She took out her cell phone and opened a video for me to watch. Everything we said and our deal was clearly recorded. I gaped at her, unable to come up with any word. "Do you know how much problem you will face if you mess with Hyuuga?"

I looked at her dumbly. Will there be any problem?

"Fan girls. Paparazzi. Kidnappers. His family. Everyone in this world." Hotaru listed out. "What will everyone say? Do you think they accept a commoner to be just _near_ him? Even if it's just a simple deal?"

"And don't think that I cared about you. This matter will indirectly connect to me. You always stick to me and if they found out that I saw everything? What do you think happens to me, then?"

I was shocked, totally shocked. Not that I was surprised that I was awaken to the reality, it's just that I was amazed at how much words Hotaru just spoke. She never speaks so much, rarely. Putting together all the words she said the whole last week, it was nothing compared to this, really.

"I did tell you to get away as soon as our job finishes, didn't I? You didn't listen to me, and you were get caught by Mr. Jinno. You are involving me now, do you know that? Those incredible inventions are easily recognized to be mine. Do you think Mr. Jinno is that stupid as to not see everything in the cafeteria?"

I didn't know everything would be that serious. I frowned, thinking all over again. Then, I grinned at her and said something I regretted so much, "Never thought you could say so much."

With that, the biggest ball flew over to me and I blacked out.

I fluttered my eyelids, struggling to open my eyes. My head felt heavy and painful. The sight before me was blurry and above me was a face I couldn't clearly see. However, I saw the sky before me was turning red and the sun was about to set.

"Are you okay?" It was a male voice asking me. It was soft and caring yet in a weird accent. I grunted and tried to sit up. The male beside me helped me up kindly. Hotaru had left me here alone. Even worse, I was left lying on the grass. Heaving a disappointed sigh, I looked up to see the male's face.

He has sapphire eyes and looked so charming with his nice blonde hair. His smile adorned his handsome figure more. He has pink cheeks and weird tanned skin which indicates that he must be a mixed-blood.

Beside him stood a figure with his back towards us, hands in his pockets. He has raven hair and a tall, fit body. He was looking at the sky. The figure looked familiar to me but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I beamed at the blonde beside me and thanked him for helping me.

I tried to stand up, but to my disappointment, I found that I couldn't. Whenever I tried to push myself up, dizziness got the better of me and my ankles screamed in pain. The blonde looked at me with concern, arms opened to help me.

"Could you stand?" He asked in a worried tone.

"It's okay. It's okay." I assured him.

"Really?" I wavered a little after standing up. "Why don't we send you back?"

"Is that okay?"

"Sure. No prob." He turned towards the guy with his back towards us. "Hey, Nat. We're going to send this girl back." Nat? Did I heard that anywhere before? "By the way, I'm Ruka Nogi."

Then, realization struck me. This guy, this handsome man is the famous Ruka Nogi. The one whom every girl idolized and his popularity was just below Natsume Hyuuga. He is Natsume Hyuuga's best friend and that means the figure with his back towards us is…

Natsume Hyuuga.

Haiz…How many times do I have to see him in a day?

"Come one. Let's go." Ruka prompted, assisting me to walk. "Hey, Natsume, let's go." Natsume turned around, revealing his god-like features. He eyed me before leading the way with us following behind. Just before we walked towards where he parked his car, he took out his keys and pushed the button.

I heard a sound of car opening and I stared towards the direction. Oh my god! Believe it or not, it's a Ferrari Enzo. **FERRARI ENZO!!!!** Oh my god! What the hell! I tried to compose myself from acting like a village girl, like jumping with joy at the sight of the car.

The car was red in color, similar with the color of his eyes. The door of the car flew upwards revealing only two seats. Just where on earth am I supposed to sit? On the car roof?

Just when I started to open my mouth to ask, Ruka led me to the passenger seat and helped me sit down. He answered my unasked question that he had something to do so he wouldn't be sitting on the car roof. Natsume was already seated comfortably on the driver's seat.

"Natsume, don't drive too fast like you usually do. You might scare her." Ruka advised him.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsume answered half-heartedly, more like wanting to make him leave faster.

"Bye. Oh, anyway, what's your name?" Ruka smiled towards me, too charming.

"Me?" I pointed towards myself. It seems unbelievable that he wants my name.

"Is there anyone else?" He gave out a light-hearted chuckle.

"Mikan Sakura." I blushed. I didn't know anyone in Natsume's group would be that kind and caring. I thought all of them were arrogant like him. Of course, Natsume must be the worst among them.

"Well then, bye. Natsume, take care of Sakura." Natsume just grunted as an answer before Ruka turned around and walked away.

Natsume pushed a button and the car revved to life. Just as he wanted to start driving it, he turned towards me. I stared back at him questioningly, wondering why he was gazing at me.

"The seatbelts." He nodded towards my side where the seatbelts were. I thought for a while before realizing that I should wear it. He sighed at my stupidity and shook his head disapprovingly.

I could say his driving skill is awesome, almost scary. He just put one hand on the steering wheel while the other was placed on the arm rest. The way he reversed the car so fast without even close to hitting the cars that were so near to his car made me frightened. He could even pass through a small space which I thought was impossible.

And the worst was, he was driving 120km/hour on random road! The scenery outside just flew past us like a wall. I kept quiet most of the time despite his driving techniques. However, I would unconsciously shriek when he did something scary and he would look at me like I was a moron.

He had asked me where I lived, but I told him to drive me straight to my work place since the time was not enough for me to return home and prepare for work. I noticed something when he was driving. He looked depressed and was thinking deep about something. Though, he never let his eyes off the road.

Eventually, I found the silence in the car too uncomfortable. I decided to break it and start a decent conversation.

"Hmm…" I struggled to find something to say to him but seemingly failed. Seeing his eyes on me, I mumbled something very stupid. "Your driving skills scare the hell out of me."

"Hn."

Can't he just say something more? I could say he didn't really want to talk to me; he wanted to end this conversation as fast as possible. But maybe I shouldn't be talking to him since he was driving and that he needed to concentrate with his car so speedy. Though, he surprised me by continuing the conversation after that.

"You didn't forget about our bargain, did you?" He inquired with a hoarse voice as if he hadn't talk for a while. I traced a hint of tiredness and fed up tone in his words. I wondered why.

"I won't." I replied simply. "I'm trustworthy." I stated, rather proud with myself.

He rolled his eyes but said nothing. Silence stretched until I noticed he turned left down a street when he was supposed to turn right to reach my work place.

I immediately jumped when I realized he hadn't been following the route I usually use and the time was not enough for him to use the longer route. "Hey, turn back. Turn back!" Anxiously, I almost shouted at him. "I'm late for work. This longer route won't do. You're supposed to turn right instead of turning in here!"

He looked at me, annoyed by my loud voice, "Shut up, will you?"

Then, a thought escaped my mind and I gasped. He was not thinking of taking me somewhere and raping me, was he? Oh no!

"Take me back! I won't give in to your plans! I won't let you rape me!" I practically screamed at him and hit him with my clenched fists. He groaned and shouted at me.

"Ouch! What's your problem, woman?" I was still punching him when he finally stopped me by explaining to me. "I don't want your puny body, okay? I prefer girls with boobs." He said through his gritted teeth. I narrowed my eyes at him and decided that he had no intention of doing anything to me.

"HEY! What are you trying to tell, huh? I've got boobs, do you hear me?" He smirked, a left hand supporting his head while his eyes were looking at the road.

"Really? I don't see any."

I ignored him and asked, "Why are you taking this road? Is it the longer route?"

He frowned and answered, "No."

"So, why are you taking this road?"

He sighed, eyes darting back and forth while thinking. He finally opened his mouth, "I'm not going to take you to work."

I was confused. "Why? Where were you going to bring me, then?"

"I…" He stopped mid-sentence before rephrasing again. "Let's just say that I'm tired, okay? I'll bring you back to your house now."

"But…but I'll be fired by my boss. I'd missed my work for at least 4 times. And those were because I was sick, but now I'm not going to work for no reason at all." I muttered, anxious. If I were fired, where would I get money to pay for apartment renting fee? Eating? School fees? "I won't have money if I were fired. What should I do if…"

He quickly cut me off, "Okay. Shut up. You're babbling. I won't fire you, alright?"

"You? Who are you to fire me?" I chuckled, thinking that he was stupid for talking like a boss. But when I looked at the car I was sitting in, my mouth twitched. I was the stupid one, wasn't it? His family owned the richest and largest corporation in Japan and what made me think that he doesn't own the publishing office there? "Don't tell me that you own the publishing office."

"You are dense, aren't you?" He smirked.

"I thought the baldy was the manager."

"You call your boss baldy?" He stopped and parked his car on a shady spot. The place seemed to have fewer shops and stalls than where she lived. "Yes, he is the manager, but not the owner."

"Oh." The baldy sure was very conceited to act so mighty in front of us. The office was not even his. "Anyway, why are you stopping here?"

"I want your home address."

"Oh. Why don't you drive me to a nearby store and I'll go home by bus. I have some shopping to do."

Closing his eyes, he rested his head on the headrest and thought deeply. His tired expression emerged again and he opened his eyes. He looked at me briefly before saying, "I'll shop with you."

"Don't you have anything to do?" I asked him curiously.

He pursed his lips and seemed not wanting to say anything. The silence got uncomfortable. Thus, I smiled at him and eased the situation, "It's okay if you don't want to say. Now, let's head towards any store before it closes. You know, it's late now."

He grunted as an answer before moving the car again. Well, he wasn't that bad.

"Wow. I don't expect the store here to be so… nice." I looked at the "store" in front of me. It's my first time to step feet on this unfamiliar place. I didn't wander around if it wasn't for any important business. The places that I had stepped foot on was just my school, my workplace, my apartment and the bus stop.

"Actually, it's a mall." Natsume's deep voice sounded beside me. He scratched his temple while looking at me, perhaps thinking that I was ignorant.

"A mall. But it's still very big to be in a place so old and few people."

"It's Tokyo, what do you expect? And it's not so 'few people' like it seems."

I looked at him questioningly, curious as to what he was indicating.

"In case you're dim-witted like you really is, we're at the back door. Not many people entered from the back door, and besides this place is not old and few people."

I glared at him for saying that I was dim-witted. He took notice but did nothing to provoke me further. He pulled out a hand from his pocket and pushed the small door in front of us. This door led towards the offices and control room. As we were about to enter, I suddenly remembered something and turned furiously towards Natsume who was standing behind me. He was so close to my face and I quickly backed away.

Blushing, I asked Natsume, "How about your car? If you park it here, it's bound to get stolen." What with his car being the Ferrari Enzo that was craved and envied by many.

"Don't worry about it." He said in a cool and absolutely no worries tone. "Get inside." He ordered me.

He doesn't care if his car got stolen? Yeah right, he is rich and can buy ten more similar cars if this one got stolen. I furrowed my brows at him in which he returned with a questioning stare.

"You don't care if you car got stolen, do you? You're too rich to even care." I said in a low voice. He raised his brows at me but didn't reply. He entered first before me, leaving me behind to get in after him. When I turned around to close the door behind me properly, I saw through the gap that several men in tuxedo suit were surrounding his car like bodyguards.

I pushed a trolley and scanned through the groceries in front of me. Natsume was following me with his eyes observing everything. He put on a cap and sunglasses, taking off his branded suit to avoid unwanted attention.

The mall was so crowded with people, unlike what I thought. People were eyeing me and Natsume. Some nearly recognized Natsume despite how he was dressed. I acted like nothing happened and smiled sweetly at those who eyed me.

I continued with my shopping. Picking up groceries and abandoning them when I found something similar with cheaper prices. Natsume looked at me disgustingly, like I was an alien. Then, I came to a dilemma.

"Should I pick this milk or should I pick this cereal? If I pick both, I think I'm going out of my budget." I looked at Natsume, waiting for his answer.

He glanced at me briefly before replying, "Pick both."

"Like I said, I'll exceed my budget."

"Then, throw away both."

"But, these are my breakfast."

"Take some other things away."

"They're also necessary for my daily life." I muttered, looking at the goods inside the trolley. Looking up to see a frown on Natsume's face, a thought passed my mind. He would think that I'm acting pitiful so that he'll pay for me. I immediately straightened up and said, "Never mind. I'll refrain from eating dinner, then." I grabbed some of the goods and put them back to their places respectively.

Something seized my wrist before I could grab another thing to put back. I looked questioningly at Natsume whose hand still attached to my wrist.

"I'll pay for you." He answered simply. "It's not much money to pay for."

"No." I didn't know where I mustered the strength from to spat at him so sternly. It seemed that I was angry at his words '_not much money to pay for'_. It's an amount of money so easy for him to spend while I had so much difficulty earning it. "I'm capable of paying myself."

I turned and headed for the counter. While the cashier was checking everything, Natsume walked towards my direction carrying the stuff that I had returned. I gazed at him while he dropped everything in my trolley. He then whispered something to the male cashier which made the male cashier gasped in surprise.

I glared at Natsume, taking the food out of my trolley. The male cashier shocked me by stopping me. He mumbled something about discount for pretty ladies as I stared at him disbelievingly.

I paid for the stuff and left the store. Natsume trailed beside me and we walked towards the back door. When we were in the offices, I turned to look at him.

"You asked him to give me discount, isn't it?" I narrowed my eyes slightly at him. I waited for his answer but he just yawned and gazed at me. "Just what are you? I mean, you own this shopping mall?"

"What makes you think that?" Instead of answering, he asked me back.

"You owned my workplace and you're the richest in Japan. That's what made me think that you own this place. I'm not so stupid like you think I…"

Before I could even finish my sentence, someone cut me off. "Hey, Natsume. Wow. What brings the busy bachelor here so late at night?"

A man dressed in black pants and white buttoned up T-shirt with a tie met my sight. He looked probably about our age. He has sandy brown hair which was pretty messed up like he hadn't combed it before. His eyes were small and he was smiling all the way. He looked at me and whistled slyly.

"Oh, I know. The busy bachelor was making time for this beautiful girl here. Who knew that you are pretty romantic, huh?" He punched Natsume while Natsume glared at him. Then, the guy turned to me and introduced himself, "The name's Kokoroyomi."

"Hi. I'm Mikan Sakura." I shook his hand.

"Why are you here?" Natsume asked, more like commanded.

"Ish..." Koko growled under his breath. "It's that annoying father of mine. He wants me to gain experience here since I am his only son. He expected me to inherit it and continue the business."

"So, you are the owner of this shopping mall?" I asked in a surprised tone when I saw Natsume's meaningful gaze on me.

"Not me, pretty miss. It's my father. Should I call you Miss Mikan or Miss Sakura?" He asked teasingly.

"Mikan. Just Mikan."

He whistled, looking at Natsume. "You have good eyes, Natsume." Natsume glared at him, making Koko cringe a little. "By the way, why are you here? Aren't you always too busy?"

"I'm tired. I went away secretly. Called Ruka but he went back just now after his mother phoned her." Natsume explained.

Koko looked astounded. "What happened again? It's quite rare of you to run away." He spoke softly.

"It's …" Natsume started, but Koko eyed me in a meaningful way and I quietly backed away from the hearing range. Natsume seemed to grow eyes on his back when he said, "It's alright. You don't need to step back."

"Drop the device." Natsume eyed Koko's ring. Koko was stunted and gawked at Natsume. He didn't seem to understand Natsume's word, neither did I. Natsume glared at Koko, then the next minute, the floor was resounded with a metal clanking on it.

Koko stared at Natsume. After a minute, as though talking to himself, he said:

"Don't worry, pal. He won't succeed and justice will have its side. No blame will be on you. Besides, all of the investments you projected were all success. Your success is too much for them to count that little failure. You are a prodigy, a child prodigy, so don't be concerned about him. He'll soon be kicked out for making so much losses and failure." What the hell just happened? It seems like I missed out something very important.

"It's not about that. He's planning another murder on me if he fails." He hissed in a very low voice. My eyes widened at that statement. "Damn him. Damn him for being my uncle. Damn him." He cursed. Koko shushed him and whispered something that I could only catch a few words. Something like, she hears……don't have to……loud……can read you. I didn't really mind what Koko said. I was more concern of his uncle's plan of murdering Natsume.

My mind drifted back to when we were still in Mr. Jinno's room.

"_Fine!" I finally surrendered. He still looked at me with that cold, I-don't-give-a-damn face. "I read that you've been kidnapped eight times, had detention for the last four years and your biodata."_

"_And?"_

_I sighed. "Is there anything else? If there is, give me a hint so I can answer you." I rolled my eyes at him._

"_Don't kid me." A fire lit up his hand and I gulped._

"_I really, truly, actually don't know." Is there anymore adverb for me to use?_

"_About the murderer?"_

"_What are you talking about? I thought it's just abducting cases?"_

So the murderer was his uncle and the target was him?

I heard Koko gasped and asked, "Again?" A delayed reaction. "Did you tell Ruka?"

Natsume looked into his eyes and said nothing.

"Don't, because he'll be dead worried for you."

"I know."

They then seemed to have a silent conversation where Koko was the only one who talked.

"She knew?" Koko looked at Natsume and gasped. I was starting to grow question marks on my head.

"How?" Koko looked at Natsume again. Maybe Koko had mental disorder, who knows?

"All the cases?" Koko said _again_.

"Will she… tell anyone?" Natsume glared at him. Koko turned to look at me and focused on me instead. What the hell was going on, really?

He twisted back to watch Natsume with a horror expression. "I can't read her." He whispered so softly that I had difficulty picking up what they said.

Natsume stared at Koko, who returned a reluctant gaze. A fireball lit up Natsume's hand and Koko quickly scrambled to the floor wearing the ring back.

"I think you better go now. It's getting late, the chances of getting kidnapped is big." Koko pushed Natsume to the back door. "Oh. Did you bring your bodyguards?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I don't need to bring them and I'm not a child anymore."

"I know you're skillful and tactful, but being careful doesn't hurt." Koko grinned and waved at him. "Oh, by the way, I think your girlfriend just froze there." He pointed towards me and quickly entered his office as Natsume's hand lit up with fire, ready to attack him for what he said.

Natsume turned towards me and said coolly, "Let's go."

When I made no move, he shouted a rude, "Ooi." at me. I snapped out of my trance and swiftly followed him. The bodyguards surrounding his car left right after Natsume opened the back door. His car was still perfect with no scratches.

I told him my apartment address, he speed through the road and sent me back. Before I get out of his car, he grabbed my wrist.

"Speak to no one about my conversation with Koko today."He demanded with such powerful authority.

"Huh? A-Alright." Of course I won't tell anyone that Koko is a neuropath. "Oh, and thank you for everything." With that, he sped and left.

* * *

**Hey, everyone. How's this chapter?**

**I do think that there are some mistakes and my grammar is not that good**

**and my vocabulary really sucks.**

**If you notice something wrong with my grammar or story,**

**please don't hesitate to tell me.**

**I really wanted to improve my English and make this story better.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Mikan!" Someone called me from behind and I turned around. Anna and Nonoko were running towards me while Hotaru was riding on her newly made scooter. Both Anna and Nonoko didn't look like they could stop in time. I quickly dodged them and held my food tray tightly.

"Whoa! What's the rush?" I asked them, narrowing my eyes at their goofy smile. We sat down on a table at the corner. Hotaru had gone to take her tray of food. Suddenly, Anna and Nonoko squealed and I swiftly covered my ears. They had gained much attention although we were sitting at the corner.

"We heard that you got detention with Natsume Hyuuga." Anna said, delighted.

"Is that right?" Nonoko asked.

"How do you feel being in an office with him?" Anna asked.

"It must be amazing, isn't it?" Nonoko asked.

"Did he do anything to you?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, like holding your hands or something similar to that." Nonoko asked.

"Hey, hey. Stop, guys. How am I supposed to answer if you keep flooding me with questions?" I sighed. Anna and Nonoko are big fans of Natsume Hyuuga. They ogle and faint at the sight of him. Nonoko had fainted once when she bumped into Natsume. I shook my head at the thought.

"Mikan, answer us." Anna urged me, a frown and a pout marred her face.

"Alright, guys. It's true that I had detention with Natsume. It's neither amazing nor exciting. It's bad enough that I got detention, and Natsume Hyuuga's presence was not making anything better. In fact, he was making it worse. Also, we did not do anything. Okay?" Their faces fell at what I said. I smiled slightly at their disappointed faces.

Hotaru came and sat down in front of me. She lifted her gaze from her food to me, staring at me intently.

"How was last night?" Hotaru asked me slowly while chewing on her crab. Crab was her favorite food all along, even since I met her. I had no idea why.

All of a sudden, I remembered everything and pointed an accusing finger at Hotaru. "You left me there yesterday, on the grass. Who knew what would happen to me? Maybe some psycho would bring me home and rape me."

"But you weren't harmed, were you?" She said in a cool voice.

"Hotaru, you're mean." I rebuked, pouting slightly.

"So, how's your day with the two school biggest heartthrob, huh?" Hotaru inquired, looking at me with her cold, amethyst eyes.

"Two school biggest heartthrob?" I contemplated, confused as to what Hotaru was saying. Anna and Nonoko had pressed nearer to get some juicy gossips. I jumped, realizing what Hotaru was implying. "You knew? That's why you left me there? Grr…Hotaru!"

"What? What? Are you talking about Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi?" Anna asked inquisitively, like a mid-wife.

"Mikan…You disappointed us. You didn't tell us that you even met Ruka Nogi!" Nonoko pouted, faking a being-neglected expression. I sneered at her, "What? I thought you were only fond of Natsume Hyuuga."

"Not fair. Ruka is also my favorite. He's like a prince charming." Nonoko said, while Anna nodded furiously to support her. I chuckled as they raised their brows at me.

"Tell me, who else isn't your favorite?" I scoffed, earning glares from both Anna and Nonoko. They looked offended but Hotaru had a small supporting smirk plastered on her face. I continued to irk them, "Ruka Nogi is the prince charming, Natsume Hyuuga is the gorgeous devil, or so you said. So, what about Mr. Jinno? The attractive four-eyed prince?" I laughed uncontrollably after that at the disgusted looks on Anna and Nonoko.

"Eww…Mr. Jinno? Attractive? Prince? Eww." Anna sickened voice blurted out. "Mikan, never say the word attractive to describe Jin-Jin. I'm getting goose bumps. Maybe, dork is more appropriate."

"But…seriously Mikan, we never knew you find Jin-Jin attractive in a princely way. You must have held feelings for him deeply." Nonoko teased me. I scowled at her who burst out laughing her head off with Anna. Hotaru had smirked as well.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the vulgar girls group." Someone interrupted our happy conversation. I looked up to see our school infamous cheerleader captain, Sumire Shouda. She was accompanied by few other cheerleaders. Her right hand was rested on her hips and her head tilted a little. She looked at us with a disgusted expression.

"May I ask what your business here is?" I asked politely, even though my insides were dying to spat at her. Anna and Nonoko looked at me unbelievingly, not expecting me to be so polite. Hotaru stared at Sumire with a nonchalant expression pasted on her face as usual.

"Well, since there isn't any table available, I'm demanding you to leave now. You know, you're too uncivilized to sit here in the cafeteria." Sumire pinched her nose between her fingers in distaste. "You smell too, village girl." She faked a wanting-to-throw-up expression. Her 'friends' also made the same look on their face.

"That couldn't be blame on you, since bitches have more sensitive nasal ability." I countered back. Acting like nothing happened, I continued to spoon food into my mouth. Anna and Nonoko gave me thumbs up, smiling happily. There were squeals and sounds behind us but we ignored it. We knew immediately that the princes of this school had arrived in the cafeteria. It was a wonder why Sumire and her 'friends' didn't rush there, perhaps too engrossed in our fight.

"You…You…" Sumire struggled to find words to describe us, but obviously failed. She glared at me when I smiled sweetly up at her. Then, in a swift second, she took up my plate of food and proceeded to slap it on my face. My eyes widened at that and instinctively I dodged it. The plate brushed past the side of my face and flew towards over my shoulder. I knew the side of my face was stained by the food.

The plate seemed to hit something soft and then, "Clang!!" It broke and everyone gasped. I turned around, finding the broken plate on the floor. Many pairs of legs met my sight and one was stained with food, making its smooth black pants dirtied. I was curious as to see who the lucky guy was. I looked up and saw Natsume Hyuuga standing there with his eyes closed in rage.

"Natsume, are you okay?" Ruka asked Natsume, worried.

"Try that yourself and see that if your leg hurts." Natsume said through his gritted teeth. I knew it must be very painful with the plate thrown to the bone of his leg.

"Oh no! I'm very sorry, Natsume-sama. I didn't mean to do that, I was just thinking to make this bitch here suffer for her deeds." Sumire begged, already dashed to stand in front of Natsume. Natsume's eyes slowly opened to reveal his fuming crimson eyes.

"You even wanted to do this to that girl?" Ruka asked in a heated tone. He had his hand pointed towards me to show who he was implying. Sumire was shuddering and she immediately begged,

"I know it's my fault. It's just that this girl is too rude for her own good."

I can't help but countered back at her, "Me? Rude? Oh, look who's talking."

Even though Sumire was frightened, she still managed to turn around and hiss at me, "Shut the hell up!" I coughed to conceal my urge to laugh. Sumire looked funny in a pathetic way. She was angry yet scared. Ironic.

Natsume opened his step with his right leg, which was the one stained. We all looked at him when he walked towards Sumire and looked down at her.

"You are a useless piece of trash." Natsume said with his teeth clenched. He walked right past us. His gang quickly followed his pace. Everyone was gravely scared of Natsume and none of us utter a single word. The whole cafeteria was silent except for the sobbing of Sumire.

Senses came back to me before I gasped. How could he say those words to a person? Sumire was kneeling on the floor, sobbing. I suddenly felt pity for her and knelt beside her to comfort her. I could feel people's eyes bored onto my back but I didn't care.

I didn't know why I had the sudden urge to console Sumire. I just thought that no one should ever be called useless or trash or something like that. Every person has feelings and of course, he must have some use in his own way, doesn't matter even if it's just a small contribution.

There was once when I was working with a hot-tempered boss, I was being called 'garbage' by him. Before I left, I met up with the boss and told him that I resign. I didn't want to take any token from him for that month's work and left.

Of course, my act of dignity resulted in my starvation for the whole month.

I just patted Sumire's back. She looked at me through her watery eyes and pushed me away. I didn't give up.

"It's nothing. The guy's just a bastard. Come on, don't be a cry baby. He's not worth it." I said, observing her reaction at my words. Her eyes widened and she corrected me in a small voice.

"He's not a bastard and he's worth it."

I smiled at her. "At times like this, don't you feel like you're contradicting yourself?" She looked at me with confusion deep in her eyes. She examined my face and then Hotaru's, who was standing behind me.

"He's worth it." She insisted before pushing herself up. Her 'friends' didn't even help her while I did. She then looked at me intently on the face with confusion and walked past us. The girls scurried to follow behind her, some looking at me with disgust.

"Wow, Mikan. I can't believe you actually comforted Sumire!" Anna exclaimed just as the girls walked out of the cafeteria. Murmurs and whispers were heard too in the background but I ignored them. Most people were staring at me as though I was the most bizarre thing in this world.

"She was the most repugnant person in this universe aside from Luna. I'm sick of her, but how could you…" Nonoko trailed off with a dismayed expression. "Ugh! Just thinking of it makes me feel horrendous." She shuddered to prove her point. Anna, too, looked revolted.

I feel strange as to why I would suddenly feel the need to ease her up. Nevertheless, a blithe feeling overflowed within me and I was incredibly pleased with myself. I laughed out loud before answering, "I don't know. I guess it's just my good mood today."

"By the way, Mikan, you're dead wrong about something." Anna said seriously. "I do think that Natsume is worth it." She earned an approving nod from Nonoko.

My brows furrowed in response to their words. "Imagine it when he said those words to you instead." They shivered a little. "And tell me again." They stayed silent to my delight. I turned to face Hotaru and grinned. "Anyway, do you know the members of Natsume's gang?"

Hotaru narrowed her eyes at me and asked me back instead of answering, "Why ask me?"

I grinned mischievously at her, "Because you're the only one who would investigate and _spy_ on people." Hotaru immediately took out her baka gun and aimed it on me. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry, right?" I stared at Hotaru who lowered her gun.

"Tell me already." I prodded Hotaru, who took out her invention. It shaped like a phone with wider screen and more data could be stored inside it.

"Who do you want to know first?" Annoyed, Hotaru asked. She showed me a list of people in her invention. The first one being Natsume Hyuuga, who was also the head. I beamed at her. She was being so helpful, lately.

"All." I replied simply. Hotaru's face changed from an annoyed one to an angry one. She gave me the invention and told me to read it myself. I looked at it, not knowing how to press the buttons. "Hotaru, what should I press first?"

She sighed heavily and muttered, "Idiot." She swiftly grabbed back her invention and said, "I'll start with Hyuuga first.

"Natsume Hyuuga. Born on 27 November. Moody and silent. Cool, calm and collected. Alice of fire, dangerous ability class, life-draining type."—I gasped at that—"Future heir of Hyuuga Corporation. Siblings: Tsubasa Andou, Aoi Hyuuga and Youichi Hyuuga.

"Ruka Nogi. Gentle and kind. Loves animal. Alice of animal pheromone, Somatic class. Half Japanese, half French. Son of a Dr. Nogi, the veterinarian. No siblings.

"Kokoroyomi. Mischievous, playful and silly. Alice of mind reading, latent ability class. Future heir of the Daily Yomi's Shopping Mall. No siblings.

"Kitsuneme. Playful and carefree. Alice of flying, latent ability class. Son to a teacher. No siblings.

"Mochiage. Slow and playful. Alice of telekinesis, latent ability type."

Kokoroyomi, alice of mind reading, huh? That's why Natsume don't have to talk, but what did he mean that he can't read my mind? I don't have any special ability to protect my mind. I thought I only had alice of stealing only…I'm not like Bella from Twilight series to have the ability to form barrier around her mind. Perhaps I heard him wrongly yesterday.

They must be close for Natsume to let Koko read his mind. Besides, they even mentioned that Ruka will be dead worried if he knew someone was targeting to kill Natsume. By the way, who was the one mentioned? I remembered him cursing, "Damn him. Damn him for being my uncle. Damn him". Just what did Natsume do to make his own uncle wanted to kill him?

"Mikan?" Anna's soft voice called me, making me snapped out of my trance. I looked at her, finding her smiling gently at me. "Mikan, you're dreaming. Come on, break time's over."

I dumbly followed her out of the cafeteria. Seeing no trace of Hotaru or Nonoko, I asked Anna, "Where are Hotaru and Nonoko?"

"Nonoko said that she wanted to go to the library. As for Hotaru, I remembered her saying something like 'not wanting to see you dream like a moron' and she left." Anna said, beaming at me. "So I waited here for you."

Moved by Anna's kindness, I thanked her. "Anna, you are the best."

She giggled. "I know. Anyway, what are you thinking just now? You were fantasizing about something, aren't you?" Anna teased me again.

"No." I answered, in a matter-of-fact way. "Just thinking about the conversation that I can't seem to remember clearly." Now that I thought of it, why was I concerned about Natsume's problem? I don't care if his uncle succeeded or failed, it wouldn't be my concern anyway. Even if Natsume was targeted, he had lived through all those times of kidnappings and attempts to murder him judging by the way Natsume said 'again'. But who wouldn't be bothered about a criminal?

Ugh! I'm contradicting myself.

"You're dreaming again. Can't you just tell me what the matter is?" Anna asked, worried.

"Not likely." When I said it, Anna's face turned confused. "I'm sorry, Anna."

"It's okay. I'm going now." Anna waved goodbye at me and left. I walked alone to my classroom. Students were running along the hallway and bumping into each other frequently. Girls were chatting excitedly in front of the news board like usual. I walked quite near to the wall to avoid people running into me.

Just when I was about to reach my classroom, Natsume and his gang were standing there like several gods. Excited girls were screaming like there's no tomorrow and were crowded in front of my classroom. It's quite impossible to get past them and enter my classroom, so I stood leaning against the wall a few feet from them.

My thoughts flew back to grandpa. He must be feeling alone there without anyone tending to him. How was grandpa? I felt a surge of depression washed through me. I really missed grandpa. I had not returned to visit him since the first day I came, which was 8 months ago. I thought pushing it to the back of my mind will make it better to endure, but it only piled up and made my homesickness even worse. I hope he wasn't getting sick, not without anyone beside him to help him. I had often written letters to grandpa, but due to grandpa's low study standard, he wasn't able to write much.

"My, my. Isn't this Mikan?" A girlish voice sounded beside me. I turned around and found Mr. Narumi standing beside me. He was wearing a t-shirt which looked much like a blouse and a pair of tight pants. Many said that Mr. Narumi is the most disgusting creature on this earth but I find him caring and nice, though I admit that sometimes I was disgusted.

I bowed and smiled politely at him. "Good morning, Mr. Narumi."

"Why didn't you enter the classroom already?" He asked the most obvious question of all and I'm sure he knew the answer as well.

Squeals and screams were increasing in volume. These girls had no self-respect at all. Don't they get that being a fan had lesser chances than being a friend? My ears were about to explode with their deafening volume. I moved further from them in order to protect my poor ears.

I remained silent until he looked over my shoulder and finally comprehended. "It's Hyuuga, isn't it? You're shy to meet him!"

My smile twitched and a cold sweat suddenly made its way down my temple. I'm shy to meet him?! Don't kid me…Can't he see the apparent crowd made up by the fans were blocking the way?

"That's not it, Mr. Narumi." I tried to answer as polite as I could. "I don't fancy Natsume in any way. It's just that I couldn't get through the crowd there."

He didn't seem to heed me at all. In fact, he asked excitedly, "Sakura, why don't you join them? Hyuuga is hot today!"

I rolled my eyes at that statement. I admit that he is hot, and I was not at all surprised because he…is like that every day. Just then, Yuu Tobita walked right up to us. He was our class representative and he was very responsible. He wore a pair of round glasses and he has grayish hair. We called him 'inchou', which was the meaning of class rep.

"Hey, inchou." I called, not bothering to answer Mr. Narumi's question. Realizing the presence of inchou, Mr. Narumi twirled around like a ballerina.

"Hi, Yuu. How's the preparation of the prom?" Mr. Narumi asked.

A prom would be held before winter and the final examination. There would be many events on that day and the main event was to dance with a partner, or so I was told. Many had found their partner but I sure hadn't. I didn't even have any guy in mind yet, and many guys were already taken. The available guys were not really my cup of tea so I don't think I would be attending prom. Hotaru wasn't planning on going to, since she thought it was just a waste of time. Anna and Nonoko were trying to ask Natsume although they didn't think it would be possible. Besides, the possibilities of Natsume accepting any of the girls' requests is low, probably none.

"It's going on smoothly, Mr. Narumi." Yuu answered politely, just like always.

"I want you to do something. Could you please tell Natsume to enter the class and tell the fan girls to move? Or else our lesson wouldn't be able to start." Mr. Narumi asked.

Yuu went stiff for a while and his eyebrow twitched. It was literally an impossible job. A cold sweat dropped from the temple and he answered with an uncertain tone, "S-Sure."

Yuu dashed to the crowd and started shouting, "Please leave now. We have to start the class." No one seemed to bother to move and mostly, the crowd's voice had drowned inchou's voice. We watched him pry out a girl or two and told them to leave. Though, it was of no use. The crowd didn't lessen at all.

Knowing that the crowd would not listen to his words, Yuu proceeded to mouth words to Natsume. That did not go well too. Natsume did not see him at all through the crowd. Pitying inchou, I walked towards him.

"I'll help you, inchou."

Inchou's face turned grateful. "Thank you, Sakura." He smiled softly at me and I returned it. I was sure his face would turn shocked after he saw what I was about to do. I sucked a deep breath and stepped forward. Ducking down my head and body a little, I squeezed myself in between two girls.

They must have glared at me, but I did not look up. I just kept on moving forward and squeezing myself through the crowd. The girls hissed and cursed when I wedged myself through them. Finally, when I almost reached Natsume, I straightened up and patted the girl in front of me on her shoulder.

Although I was panting, I still put the best smile on my face and politely requested, "Excuse me?" I thought I was going to have a 'sure' for a reply, but much to my dismay, the girl with big nose and large, ugly mouth shooed me away like I was a dog.

Furious, I snarled at her and harshly pushed her away. The admirers of Natsume and others were getting on my nerves. Usually, my patience weren't that limited, but that time, it just burst and flames were burning inside me. I shoved everyone who was in my path away, wanting to reach Natsume as fast as possible.

Natsume, who was leaning against the wall, was already staring at me with anger. Obviously, the incident earlier had greatly pissed him off. His crimson orbs bored into mine and I was mesmerized for a while. I quickly snapped back and glared at him, making sure that I would not be captivated again.

"Mr. Narumi requested you to enter the class." I pronounced my words slowly and in a stern voice. "Also, tell your…fans to retreat back to their classes."

He looked at me blankly. "Why do you think I'm standing here, huh?" I blinked, confused. Then, my eyes traced to the door behind him and saw the big lock hanging there still enclosed. I sighed. Mr. Narumi must have forgotten that he locked the door. Darn, he's wasting inchou's and my effort.

Some girls pushed me away and continued screaming like hell. "Natsume-sama, please accept this." "Ruka-sama, listen to my apology." "Natsume-sama, why the hell are you talking to this filthy girl?" "Koko-sama, you're really cheerful! I love you."

I tripped on someone's leg and fell. Looking up blankly, I waited for the solid floor to hit me. A familiar feeling hit me. I suddenly saw a vague lady's face in front of me with tears stained her face and agonies as well as sufferings were evident on her face. Her face was so familiar and it somehow resembled mine. I let out a huff and struggled to breathe.

My eyes were blank and out of focus. The feeling was just so suffocating and painful to me. I grabbed something so tightly in my right hand that it felt numb. I didn't realize that I did not fell onto the hard floor. Instead, something soft was behind my head and holding me up from falling down.

Someone nudged me and held me up gingerly. I blinked and at last, the focus was regained. It was like last time, the face above me was Ruka. He frowned worriedly at me, in which I returned with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong? Did you fear falling so much? You're getting paler and paler." He asked with concern, a small smile on his face to comfort me. I opened my mouth, trying to answer his question but no sound came from my mouth. I realized that everything was quiet that I can hear Ruka's voice properly.

"Ooi, let go of my shirt." A rough voice ordered and attempted to pry my hands from his shirt hem. "Why are you trembling?" Natsume furrowed his brows too.

I was suddenly conscious of my furious trembling. Quickly, I removed my hands from his shirt and pushed myself away from Ruka.

"I'm…I'm sorry." I then proceeded to turn around and squeezed myself through the crowd and walked away. I staggered towards nowhere in precise, leaned against the wall and sat on the grass after sliding down with my back against the wall.

What was that feeling? Had I faced it in my life? I remembered feeling this fear and agony before when I fell down the previous times, but I never knew what happened to me. It felt like I had experienced it years ago. I never did tell my grandfather, although I thought he might know something. And who was that woman? Why does she resemble me so much when I didn't even know her? Why was she crying?

I felt the urge to cry there, but I forced back my tears. I should not cry, I had promised myself not to shed tears anymore for some little things. So, why should I cry for no reason at all? I could not stop my shaking hands, no matter how hard I tried. I put my head in between my knees and stayed there until classes ended.

**How's this? **

**Don't ask me what happen to Mikan, you'll know it when the time comes.**

**Thanks to Ah Hael, Bunny Jumps, Prickly Prick, Darkest Temptation, chibi-kyasurin, The Black Swallow, Jazzicool and Crimson Eyed Girl for reviewing my story. **

**To Ah Hael, thanks for telling me the tips and I'm really grateful. English isn't my primary language. By the way, I don't think I would make Mikan too stupid. Just like you said, she is a little sheltered for living in a small town and just a bit dense. To that question of yours, Mikan nullified it unconsciously when she was nervous, just before she poured the pail of water. Natsume did feel weird too, but he was overwhelmed by the time he knew Mikan read of the kidnapping cases. And also, I didn't write Natsume's suspicion because this story is in Mikan's point of view. I'll only make Mikan use her alice when she was scared or nervous.**

**To Prickly Prick, thanks for your remind. I'll remember to add in other characters more.**

**To the others who wanted me to update faster, I'll gladly comply. It's just that I lay emphasize on studies more than writing stories.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


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